Leg-rest control linkage for reclining chairs



Nov. 6, 1962 P. s. FLETCHER 3,062,581

LEG-REST CONTROL LINKAGE FOR RECLINING CHAIRS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed May 12, 1955 FIG. 2.

INVENTOR. PETER \S. FLETCHE'Q,

m-ranMsvs Nov. 6, 1962 P. s. FLETCHER 3,

LEG-REST CONTROL LINKAGE FOR RECLINING CHAIRS Original Filed May 12, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 3.

INVENTOR. PETER S. FLETCHBQ M v Q RTTGPNEXJ N v- 1962 P. s. FLETCHER 3,062,581

LEG-REST CONTROL LINKAGE FOR RECLINING CHAIRS Original Filed May 12, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 5.

M INVENTOR.

A6752 6. FLETCME'Q.

gTraQA/tYS Nov. 6, 1962 P. s.- FLETCHER 3,062,531

LEG-REST CONTROL LINKAGE FOR RECLINING CHAIRS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Original Filed May 12, 1955 FIG. 6,

mmvroa PETE/2 S. F457: H512 0 rronlve s United States Patent 3,062 ss1 LEG-REST CONTROL LINKAGE FOR RECLINING CHAIRS Peter S. Fletcher, Delray Beach, Fla., assignor to Anton Lorenz, Boynton Beach, Fla. Continuation of applications Ser. No. 507,761, May 12,

1955, and Ser. No. 547,368, Nov. 17, 1955. This application July 8, 1959, Ser. No. 825,852

9 Claims. (Cl. 297-89) The present invention relates to improvements in reclining chairs, and in particular relates to a novel and improved leg-rest actuating and Control linkage for such chairs, the linkage supporting the leg-rest and being adapted to move the same from a retracted to an extended position.

This application is a continuation of my two co-pending United States patent applications, Serial Nos. 507,761 and 547,368, filed May 12, 1955, and November 17, 1955, respectively, both now abandoned.

In conventional reclining chairs it is known to support and control the leg-rest by an actuating linkage consisting of a pair of links connected to the leg-rest and a pair of links connected to the seat and/or the support frame. This linkage is coupled to a portion of the bodysupporting structure in such a manner that upon movement of this seat and back-rest structure to its reclining position, the leg-rest linkage is actuated and moves the leg-rest from its retracted position to an extended position in which it is substantially at the level of and spaced forwardly of the leading edge of the seat. The pairs of links constituting this linkage are normally interconnected with each other by a single coordinating means usually in the form of a single pivot. This single coordinating means by its very nature provides a fixed and relatively narrow range of variation in leg-rest movement. In such an arrangement, in order to provide a desirable range or a wide variation in the path of movement of the legrest, it has been necessary to redesign the pairs of links themselves.

In reclining chairs of different types, it is often desirable to impart to the leg-rest a variety of movements to conform to the size and design of the chair or to the purpose for which the chair is to be used. For example, considerations of comfort often make it desirable to provide the leg-rest with an accelerated outward movement during the initial stage of travel to the extended position with the result that the leg-rest will quickly engage the legs of the occupant and support them constantly during the reclining movement. It is also often a consideration in chair design to control the attitude or pitch of the leg-rest relative to the seat during the reclining movement. A further consideration is the distance to which the leg-rest is extended forwardly of the seat, this functional feature varying in accordance with the requirements of the particular chair. Up to the present time it has been impossible to employ the same linkage hardware to achieve these variations in movement and location of the leg-rest, and if such variations were required, it has been necessary to redesign the hardware entirely, for example, to change the relative lengths of the links.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide in a reclining chair a leg-rest linkage of the character described, which is capable of a wide degree of control of the leg-rest during its movement, and in which the same linkage may be employed to provide a Wide variation in such movement and the disposition of the leg-rest.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided in a reclining chair a leg-rest linkage in which two links are mounted at spaced points on the seat and depend therefrom and two links are connected to the leg-rest and respectively connected to the two links mounted on the seat. Coordinating means are provided to coordinate the movements of the links in this arrangement, the coordinating means comprising two independent control means, one in the nature of a link connection between one set of two links and the other control means comprising a flexible coupling between the other set of two links. This flexible coupling may be in the nature of a pin-and-slot connection or it may be in the nature of an additional link.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following specification, when taken in connection with the accompanydrawings illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partially broken away and shown in section, of a reclining chair incorporating one form of improved linkage made in accordance with the invention, the chair being shown in full line in its upright sitting position with the leg-rest retracted;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the chair shown in FIG. 1, but with the chair parts shown in their reclining position and the leg-rest extended;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a reclining chair incorporating a modified form of leg-rest linkage made in accordance with the invention, the chair being shown in an upright sitting position;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the chair shown in FIG. 3, but with the chair parts shown in their reclining position and the leg-rest extended;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a reclining chair incorporating still another modified type of leg-rest linkage construction made in accordance with the present invention, the chair being shown in an upright sitting position;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the chair shown in FIG. 5, but with the chair parts shown in their reclining position and the leg-rest extended;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of a reclining chair shown in sitting position and incorporating a further modified form of leg-rest linkage made according to the invention; and

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of the chair shown in FIG. 7, but with the chair parts shown in their reclining position and the leg-rest extended.

Referring now specifically to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, there is shown a reclining chair having a support frame 10 which includes connected side walls '12 and 14, and a rear wall 16.

A body supporting structure comprising a seat 18 and a back-rest 20 is movably mounted on the support frame 10 for rearward pivoting movement from an upright sitting position, shown in FIG. 1, to a reclining position shown in FIG. 2. For this purpose, fixed portions of the seat 18 and back-rest 28 are mounted on the support frame 10 by a common pivot 22.

The chair also includes a leg-rest 58 which is mounted on the seat 18 by a leg-rest control linkage. This legrest control linkage includes a first pair of links comprising a first link 24 and a second link 26 connected together at their ends by a pivot 28. The first link 24 is mounted by pivot 30 on the forward end portion of the seat 18, while the free end of the second link 26 is connected by pivot 68 to the leg-rest 58. A second pair of links comprises a third link 32 and a fourth link 34 connected in end-to-end relationship by a pivot 36. The upper end of the third link 32 is mounted by pivot 38 on the seat 18 at a point spaced rearwardly from the pivotal mount 38. The free end of the fourth link 34 is connected by pivot 62 to the leg-rest 53 at a point spaced from the pivotal connection 60.

For purposes of coordinating the linkage to constrain the links thereof and cause the same to move the leg-rest in a prescribed path, a control link 48 is employed to connect the links 24 and 32. The control link 48 is connected by pivot 46 to the link 24 and by a pivot 48 to the link 32. A second control element is also provided to coordinate the links 34 and 26. In this instance such second control element comprises a pin 64 carried by link 24, said pin being slidable in an elongated slot 66 formed in the link 34. It will thus be apparent that the pairs of links 24, 32, and 26, 34 are coordinated by two separate and distinct control elements, one being in the form of the control link 40 and the other being in the form of a pin and slot connection 64, 66. The aforementioned linkage thus serves as a control linkage connecting the leg-rest 58 to the seat 18 and adapted to move the leg-rest through a designated path of movement from its retracted position to its extended position.

The leg-rest linkage is actuated by an actuating link 42 which is connected by pivot 44 to the end of the control link 40 and at its other end is connected by pivot 58 to an extension piece 52 formed rigidly with the backrest 28 and depending therefrom below the pivotal mount 22. When the back-rest 21) is turned rearwardly about the pivotal mount 22, the extension 52 swings forwardly, thrusting the actuating link 42 upwardly and forwardly to raise the leg-rest linkage to its extended position.

The upper end of a guiding link 54 is swingably mounted on the support frame 18 by pivot 56. The lower end of said guiding link 54 is pivotally connected by pivot 44 to the point of connection between the actuating link 42 and control link 43. The guiding link 54 swings upwardly and forwardly about the pivot 56 when the actuating link 42 is thrust forwardly, thereby raising the forward end of the seat 18 through the links 24 and 32, to bring the seat to its fully reclined position shown in FIG. '2.

The sitting position of the movable members of the chair is limited by a stop 68 mounted on the support frame for abutting cooperation with the lower surface of the seat 18, while the extreme reclined position of the movable members of the chair is limited by the upper edge of the rear wall 16 engaging the rear wall of the backrest 28.

When the occupant of the chair leans rearwardly against the back-rest 20, the latter will turn rearwardly about the pivotal mount 22, and the back-rest extension 52 will move forwardly and upwardly, pushing the actuating link 42 in the same direction. Movement of the actuating link 42 thrusts the links 24 and 32 outwardly and raises the forward end of the seat 18, as influenced by the guide link 54. The leg-rest linkage is thus brought to its extended position, shown in FIG. 2, in which the leg-rest 58 is spaced forwardly of the seat 18 and is disposed substantially at the level of the forward end of the seat.

As was previously indicated, the control link 41) serves as a first coupling means connecting the links 24 and 32, coordinating the movement of these two links with each other, and controlling the movement of these links within the leg-rest linkage itself. The pin-and-slot connection 64, 66 serves as a second coupling means, connecting the pair of leg-rest links 26, 34 with the pair of seat links 24, 32 and in addition coordinating the movement of these two links with each other, and controlling the move ment of these links within the leg-rest linkage itself.

In general, it may be said that either the pair of seat links 24, 32 or the pair of leg-rest links 26, 34 may be coupled by a control link such as the control link 41), in which case, the other pair of links must be coordinated by a flexible coupling. The flexible coupling, which serves as the second control means, may be in the nature of a pin-and-slot connection as shown in FIG. 1, or may be in the nature of a link connection as shown, for example, in FIG. 5.

The arrangement of the present invention has the unique advantage of permitting the same linkage to be used for providing a variety of leg-rest movements. Thus, links of the same size and arrangement as the links 24, 26, 32 and 34 may be incorporated in different types of chairs and the movement of the leg-rest can be selectively controlled by varying the position of the control link 48 and/ or by varying the position, size or shape of the pinand-slot connection 64, 66.

A modified type of leg-rest linkage made in accordance with the invention is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, wherein there is shown a reclining chair having a support frame 118 which includes connected side walls 112 and 114 and a rear wall 116.

The body supporting structure comprising the seat 118 and back-rest 126 is movably mounted by pivot 122 on the support frame for rearward pivoting movement from the upright sitting position shown in FIG. 3 .to the reclining position shown in FIG. 4.

The chair also includes a leg-rest 158 which is mounted on the seat 118 by a leg-rest control linkage. This legrest control linkage again includes a first pair of links comprising a first link 124 and a second link 126 connected at their ends by pivot 128. The first link 124 is mounted by pivot 13% on the forward end portion of the seat 118, while the second link 126 is connected by pivot 168 to the leg-rest 158. A second pair of links, comprising a third link 132 and a fourth link 134, is mounted by pivot 138 on the seat 118 at a point spaced rearwardly from the pivotal mount 130. The free end of the fourth link 134 is connected by pivot 162 to the leg-rest 158 at a point spaced from the pivotal connection 163.

For purposes of coordinating the linkage to constrain the links thereof and cause the same to move the leg-rest in a prescribed path, a control link is employed to connect the links 124 and 132. The control link 140 is connected by pivot 146 to the link 124 and by a pivot 148 to the link 132. A second control means is also provided to coordinate the link 134 and 126. This second control means includes an extension 174 of link 124 pivotally connected at 176 to the link 134 and a pin 137 carried by link 132 and slidably engaged with an elongated slot 167 formed in the link 134. Thus, the pairs of links 124, 132, and 126, 134 are coordinated by two separate and distinct control elements, one being in the form of the control link 140 and the other being in the form of a pin-and-slot connection 137, 167 working in conjunction with the link extension 174. The pairs of links 124, 132 and 126, 134 with their two control means thus serve as a control linkage connecting the leg-rest 158 to the seat 118 and adapted to move the leg-rest from its retracted position, shown in FIG. 3, to its extended position shown in FIG. 4.

The leg-rest control linkage is driven by an actuating link 142 which is connected at one end by pivot 144 to the end of the control link 140, and at its other end is connected by pivot to a depending extension 152 of the back-rest 120. When the back-rest 120 is turned rearwardly about the pivotal mount 122, the extension 152 swings forwardly, thrusting the actuating link 142 upwardly and forwardly to raise the leg-rest control linkage to its extended position.

The upper end of a guiding link 154 is swingably mounted. on the support frame 110 by pivot 156. The

lower end of said guiding link 154 is pivotally connected by the pivot 148 to the link 132. The extreme reclined position of the movable members of the chair is limited by the upper edge of the rear wall 116 engaging the rear wall of the back-rest 120'.

Rearward pressure by the occupant of the chair against the back-rest 120 causes the latter to turn rearwardly about its pivotal mount 122, the back-rest extension 152 pushing the actuating link 142 forwardly and upwardly to thrust the links 124 and 132 outwardly and raise the leg-rest to its extended position. In this extended position, the leg-rest 158 is spaced forwardly of the seat- 118 and is disposed substantially at the level of the forward end of the seat.

In operation, the control link 140 serves as a first coupling means connecting the links 124 and 132 and coordinating the movement of these two links with each other. The extension 174 of link 130 in cooperation with the pin-and-slot connection 137, 167 serves as a second coupling means, connecting the pair of leg-rest links 126, 134 with the pair of seat links 124, 132 and also coordinating the movement of the leg-rest links 126, 134. The position or arrangement of the control link 140 and the position and shape of the pin-and-slot connection 137, 167 may be selectively changed to vary the leg-rest movement or pitch produced by the pairs of links in the control linkage.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a reclining chair incorporating a modified type of leg-rest control linkage made in accordance with the invention. The chair shown therein again has a support frame 210 including side walls 212 and 214 and a rear Wall 216.

A body supporting structure comprising a seat 218 and a back-rest 220 is movably mounted on the support frame 210 by pivot 222 for rearward pivoting movement from an upright sitting position shown in full line in FIG. 5 to a reclining position shown in FIG. 6.

The leg-rest 258 is mounted on the seat 218 by a legrest control linkage which includes a first pair of links comprising a first link 224 and a second link 226 connected at their ends by a pivot 228. The first link 224 is mounted by pivot 230 on the forward end portion of the seat 218, while the free end of the second link 226 is connected by pivot 260 to the leg-rest 258. A second pair of links comprises a third link 232 and a fourth link 234 connected in end-to-end relationship by a pivot 236. The upper end of the thirdlink 232 is mounted by pivot 238 on the seat 218 at a point spaced rearwardly from the pivotal mount 230. The free end of the fourth link 234 is connected by pivot 262 to the leg-rest 258 at a point spaced from the pivotal connection 260. 7

Again. a control link 240 is employed to connect the links 224 and 232. The control link 240 is connected by pivot 246 to the link 224 and by a pivot 248 to the link 232. A second control element is also provided to coordinate the links 234 and 226. This second control element is again a flexible counling as was the pin and slot connection previously described, but in this instance the second control eleme t compri es an auxiliary link 280 connected bv pivot 2-82 to the link 224 and by pivot 284 to the link 234. It will thus be apparent that again the pairs of links 224, 232, and 226. 234 are coordinated by two separate and distinct control elements, one being in the form of the cont ol link 240 and the other being in the form of the auxiliary link 280. The aforementioned linkage thus serves as a control linkage connecting the leg-rest 258 to the seat 218 and adapted to move the legrest through a designated path of movement from its retracted position to its extended position.

The leg-rest linkage is driven by the actuating link 242 which is connected at one end by pivot 244 to the end of the control link 240. and at its other end by pivot 250 to a rigid downward extension 252 of the back-rest 220. When the back-rest 220 is turned rearwardly about the pivotal mount 222, the extension 252 swings for- 6 wardly; thrusting the actuating link 242 upwardly and forwardly to raise the leg-rest linkage to its extended position.

The upper end of guiding link 254 is swingably mounted on the support frame 210 by pivot 256. The lower end of said guiding link 254 is pivotally connected by pivot 244 to the point of connection between the actuating link 242 and control link 240. The guiding link 254 swings upwardly and forwardly about the pivot 256 when the actuating link 242 is thrust forwardly, thereby raising the forward end of the seat 218 through the links 224 and 232, to bring the seat to its reclined position, shown in FIG. 6.

The sitting position of the movable members of the chair is limited by a stop 268 mounted on the support frame 210 for abutting cooperation with the lower surface of the seat 218, while the extreme reclined position of the movable members of the chair is limited by the upper edge of the rear wall 216 engaging the rear wall of the back-rest 220.

When the occupant of the chair leans rearwardly against the back-rest 220, the leg-rest linkage is brought to its extended position, shown in FIG. 6, in which the legrest 258 is in its leg-supporting position spaced forwardly of the seat 218 and disposed substantially at the level of the forward end of the seat.

As was previously indicated, the control link 240 serves as a first coupling means connecting the links 224 and 232 and coordinating the movement of these two links. The auxiliary link 280 serves as a second coupling means, constraining the pair of leg-rest links 226, 234- and providing a flexible connection between these two pairs of links to coordinate the movement thereof.

The leg-rest movement and the pitch of the leg-rest can be selectively varied, utilizing the same pairs of links, by changing the position of the control link- 240 and/ or the auxiliary link 280.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a similar reclining chair incorporating a further modified type of leg-rest control linkage, which again includes an auxiliary link as the second control means, but in which the link is differently arranged. The reclining chair of FIGS. 7 and 8 has a support frame 310 which includes connected side walls 312 and 314 and a rear Wall 316. I t v The seat 318 and a back-rest 320 are movably mounted by a common pivot 322 on the support frame 310 forrearward pivoting movement from the upright sitting position shown in FIG. 7 to the reclining position shown in FIG. 8.

The leg-rest 358 is mounted on the seat 318 by a legrest control linkage including a first pair of links comprising a first link 324 and a second link 326 connected by a pivot 328. The first link 324- is mounted by pivot 330 on the forward end portion of the seat 3 18, while the free end of the second link 326 is connected by pivot 360 to the leg-rest 358. A second pair of links comprises a third link 332 and a fourth link 334 connected by a pivot 336. The upper end of the third link 332 is mounted by pivot 338 on the seat 318 at a point spaced rearwardly from the pivotal mount 330. The forward end of the fourth link 334 is connected by pivot 362 to the legrest 358 at a point spaced from the pivotal connection 360.

The pair of seat links 324 and 332 are coupled and coordinated by a control link 340 which is connected by pivot 346 to the link 324 and by a pivot 348 to the link 332. A second control element is also provided to coordinate the leg-rest links 334 and 326. Said second control element comprises an auxiliary link 380 which in this instance is connected at one end by the pivot 336 to the fourth link 334, and at its other end by pivot 386 to an extension 372' of the second link 326 which projects beyond the pivot 328. Thus the link pair's 324, 332- and 326, 334 are coordinated by two separate and distinct control means, one being in the form of the control link 340 and the other being in the form of the auxiliary link 380. The aforementioned linkage thus serves as a control linkage connecting the leg-rest 358 to the seat 318 and adapted to move the leg-rest through a designated path of movement from its retracted position to its extended position.

The leg-rest control linkage is actuated by an actuating link 342 which is connected by pivot 34% to the juncture between the control link 34% and the third link 332. The rear end of the actuating link 342 is connected by pivot 350 to .a depending extension 352 of the back-rest 320. The upper end of guiding link 354 is swingably mounted on the support frame 310 by pivot 356. The lower end of said guiding link 354 is connected by pivot 345 to the actuating link 342.

The sitting position of the movable members of the chair is limited by a stop 368 mounted on the support frame 310 for abutting cooperation with the lower surface of the seat 318, while the extreme reclined position of the movable members of the chair is limited by the upper edge of the rear wall 316 engaging the rear wall of the back-rest 320.

When the occupant of the chair leans rearwardly against the back-rest 320, the actuating link 342 thrusts the control linkage outwardly and brings leg-rest 353 to its extended position, shown in FIG. 8, in which it is spaced forwardly of the seat 318 and is disposed substantially at the level of the forward end thereof.

The control link 340 serves as a first coupling means coordinating the links 324 and 332 while the auxiliary link 380 couples and coordinates the links 326 and 334. The location of the control link 340 and the auxiliary link 380 may be selectively varied to produce a wide range of movement and pitch control of the leg-rest.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described herein, it is obvious that numerous omissions, changes and additions may be made in the embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. An improved leg-rest and control arrangement for use in a chair including a support, and body-supporting means comprising a seat and a back-rest rockably mounted on said support for rearward movement into a reclined position, said arrangement comprising a leg-rest disposed adjacent the forward end of the seat, and a leg-rest lirkage carrying said leg-rest and mounting the latter on the seat, said leg-rest linkage comprising a first pair of links pivotally connected together, one end of said pair being pivotally connected to said seat and the other end of said pair being pivoted to said leg-rest, a second pair of links pivotally connected together, one end of said second pair of links being pivoted to said seat at a point spaced from said connection between said first pair of links and said seat, the other end of said second pair of links being pivoted to the leg-rest at a point spaced from the point at which the first pair of links is pivoted to the leg-rest, coordinating means to coordinate the movements of the links in said arrangement, said coordinating means comprising two independent control means, the first control means comprising a link connection between one link of the first pair and one link of the second pair, the second control means comprising a flexible coupling between the other link of one of the pairs with a link of the other pair.

2. An improved leg-rest and control arrangement for use in a chair including a support, and body-supporting means comprising a seat and a back-rest rockably mounted on said support for rearward movement into a reclined position, said arrangement comprising a leg-rest disposed adjacent the forward end of the seat, and a leg-rest linkage carrying said leg-rest and mounting the latter on the seat, said leg-rest linkage comprising a first pair of links comprising a first and second link pivotally connected together, the first link being pivotally connected to said seat and the second link being pivoted to said leg-rest, a second pair of links comprising a third and fourth link pivotally connected together, the third link being pivoted to said seat at a point spaced from said connection between said first link and said seat, the fourth link being pivoted to the leg-rest at a point spaced from the point at which the second link is pivoted to the leg-rest, coordinating means to coordinate the movements of the links in said arrangement, said coordinating means comprising two independent control means, the first control means comprising a control link pivotally connected to the first link and to the third link, the second control means comprising a flexible coupling between one of the second and fourth links with one of the first and third links.

3. An improved leg-rest and control arrangement according to claim 2 in which said flexible coupling is provided by a pin-and-slot connection at one of the pivots of said one of said first and third links which permits relative movement of said one link relative to the other link of the first and third links.

4. An improved leg-rest and control arrangement according to claim 2 in which said flexible coupling comprises a 'pin-and-slot connection between said one of the first and third links and said one of the second and fourth inks.

5. An improved leg-rest and control arrangement according to claim 2 in which said flexible coupling comprises a link connection between one of said first and third links and said one of the second and fourth links.

6. An improved leg-rest and control arrangement according to claim 2 in which the flexible coupling comprises a link pivotally connected at one end to the first link and at the other end to said fourth link.

7. An improved leg-rest and control arrangement according to claim 2 in which the flexible coupling comprises an extension of the second link and a link connecting said extension to the third link.

8. An improved leg-rest and control arrangement for use in a chair including a support, and a body-supporting means comprising a seat and a back-rest rockably mounted on said support for rearward movement into a reclined position, said arrangement comprising a leg-rest disposed adjacent the forward end of the seat, and a legrest linkage carrying said leg-rest and mounting the latter on the seat, said leg-rest linkage comprising a first pair of links comprising a first and second link pivotally connected together, the first link being pivotally connected to said seat and the second link being pivoted to said leg-rest, a second pair of links comprising a third and fourth link pivotally connected together, the third link being pivoted to said seat at a point spaced from said connection between said first link and said seat, the fourth link being pivoted to the leg-rest at a point spaced from the point at which the second link is pivoted to the leg-rest, coordinating meansto coordinate the movements of the links in said arrangement, said coordinating means comprising two independent control means, the first control means comprising a .control link pivotally connected to the first linkand to the third link, the second control means comprising a pin-and-slot connection between the first link and the fourth link.

9. An improved leg-rest and control arrangement for use in a chair including a support, and a body-supporting means comprising a seat and a back-rest rockably mounted on said support for rearward movement into a reclined position, said arrangement comprising a leg-rest disposed adjacent the forward end of theseat, and a legrest linkage carrying said leg-rest and mounting the latter on the seat, said .legerest linkage comprising a first pair of links comprising a first link and a second link, .one of said pair .of links being pivotally connected to saidseat and the other of said pair of links being pivotally connected to the leg-rest, a second pair of links comprising a third and fourth link, one of said second pair of links being pivoted to said seat at a point spaced from said connection between said one link of said first pair and said seat, the other link of said second pair being pivoted to the leg-rest at a point spaced from the connection of the other link of said first pair of said legrest, said fourth link being pivoted to one of said first and third links, said second link being pivoted to one of said first and third links, coordinating means to coordinate the movements of the links in said arrangement, said coordinating means comprising two independent control means, the first control means comprising a control link pivotally connected to the first link and to the third link, the second control means comprising a flexible con- 10 pling between said second link and the other of said first and third links, the connection of said flexible coupling to said second link being spaced from said connection between said second link and one of said first and third links.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,750,988 Luckhardt June 19, 1956 2,788,058 Luckhardt June 9, 1957 2,897,877 Krikorian Aug. 4, 1959 2,944,594 Lorenz July 12, 1960 

